Mission Month

Since the year 2000, the Jesus Youth movement has been using the tagline “A missionary movement at the service of the Church”. This tagline has been the heart and soul of every JY initiative and endeavour. It has also been the moving force behind each creative idea evolved to make the Good News more relevant to young people. The missionary face of the movement has been quite evident right from its beginning 25 years ago. And over the years this missionary fervour has manifested in two different ways - as the Church seeks of its people. Firstly many left their homelands for unknown countries for the sake of the Gospel; to make Christ known to the people. And the presence of the movement in 25 different countries in such a short span of time isthe result of this going-out. Secondly though not everyone has the call to leave, all baptised Christians certainly have the primary responsibility to bloom where they are planted, i.e. engage in missionary activities in their own life situations and spread the Good News to the people around them.

Every Jesus Youth is encouraged to discern his/her missionary call and work in that direction. There are three types of mission one can have:

1. Personal ministry/mission

This is the first and basic call that one receives based on one’s charisms, strengths and talents. And hence this call will vary from person to person. Personally interceding for others, following up new people until they are integrated into the movement, bringing up leadership, discipling others, personal visits to the needy and the poor, etc. are some examples. One's personal mission will continue throughout one's lifetime, although the expression of this call may vary from one phase to another. This call can be expressed within the movement or outside (although mostly it is related to the movement).

2. Community based ministry/mission

In this, one person joins others with similar life situations/charisms to minister to others. Most of the community based ministries in the movement have developed from a personal ministry. But it is not compulsory that all the individual ministries should become community ministries.

3. Given ministry/mission

The movement also asks individuals to take up certain time-based commitments for its growth and betterment. These can be office-based, such as Co-ordinatorship, responsibility of certain projects etc. This ministry will be entrusted only with the people who have the first two.

It is certainly the first and second mission options which move the movement forward and keep it alive in the Spirit. In this Jubilee year, every Jesus Youth must take the time to re-discover his/her mission in life. The ‘100 Days of Grace’ has been a season of prayer and renewal. And we must use this as a springboard to renew our missionary enthusiasm.

The month of June in this Jubilee year has been dedicated specially for mission. His Grace Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati and Chairman of the Office of Evangelisation-FABC, has graciously agreed to speak to all of us about the need for mission and the means for effective evangelisation. May His Grace's words renew the spark in us to respond to our call to mission.